Andrew Sullivan On Sterling's Ban

"If Brendan Eich had made comments telling his friends to keep away from faggots, if he’d used any such terminology or had ever been shown to have discriminated against gays in the workplace or in his daily interactions, then his case would be very similar. But no such comments are in the public or private record, and there’s zero evidence that he ever acted in the workplace to harm gay employees. Au contraire, which is why gay Mozilla employees were divided about his ouster, with some supporting him. Sterling’s remarks, in contrast, reveal him to be a crude, foul bigot – which is why there is no division at all among African-Americans in the league – or beyond the league – about his fate." - Andrew Sullivan.

LA Clippers Stage T-Shirt Protest

Jason Collins & Michael Sam Tweet Congrats To Newly Out NCAA Player

(Tipped by JMG reader Str8 Grandmother)

NCAA Basketball Player Comes Out

ESPN has the story:

Derrick Gordon, a sophomore starter for the University of Massachusetts men's basketball team, stepped forward Wednesday as the first openly gay player in Division I men's college basketball, sharing his story with ESPN and Outsports. The 22-year-old shooting guard came out to his family, coaches and teammates in the span of just a few days at the beginning of April. That's when he also decided to publicly acknowledge his sexuality. I just didn't want to hide anymore, in any way," Gordon told ESPN. "I didn't want to have to lie or sneak. I've been waiting and watching for the last few months, wondering when a Division I player would come out, and finally I just said, 'Why not me?'"

Gordon says he was inspired to come out by Brooklyn Nets player Jason Collins. He came out to his teammates last week and his school is behind him.

"UMass is proud to have Derrick Gordon as a member of our athletic family and to honor his courage and openness as a gay student-athlete," athletic director John McCutcheon said in a written statement. "UMass is committed to creating a welcoming climate where every student-athlete, coach and staff member can be true to themselves as they pursue their athletic, academic and professional goals."

NBA Auctions Signed Collins Jerseys

The NBA just emailed to tip me that they have launched an auction for autographed Jason Collin jerseys. Sales will benefit the Matthew Shepard Foundation and GLSEN.

Each jersey is authenticated by the NBA and MeiGray Game-Worn Authentication Program. MeiGray Group, the official game-worn partner of the NBA, offers collectors the highest standards of authenticity, integrity, and reliability for all game-used items. Collins became the first openly gay, active male athlete from one of the four major North American professional team sports on Feb. 23, after signing with his original team, the Nets. Since he was added to the roster, Collins’ jersey spent three weeks in the No. 1 spot on the top-selling jersey list at NBAStore.com. Collins wears the number “98” in honor of Matthew Shepard, a college student who was murdered in 1998 after being targeted for being openly gay. The NBA has a long history of supporting the LGBT community including partnerships with GLSEN, GLAAD and Athlete Ally and was the recipient of the 2012 Commitment to Diversity & Inclusion Award at the GLSEN Respect Awards. In addition, Jason Collins received the 2013 Courage Award at the 10th annual GLSEN Respect Awards and Denver Nuggets star Kenneth Faried was awarded the 2012 J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award, in part because of his relationship with Athlete Ally.

Bidding has opened at $250 for each jersey.

Brooklyn Nets Clinch Playoff Berth

Last night the Brooklyn Nets clinched a berth in the Eastern Conference playoffs with their 14th consecutive home win at Barclays Center, setting the stage for Jason Collins to add a another item to his list of first-ever accomplishments when he enters a playoff game with his Matthew Shepard-honoring jersey. Most of the hubbub about the NBA's first openly gay player died down within a week or so of Collins returning to the game in February, but a couple of sportswriters have pleasantly joked this week that Collins has been a good luck charm in light of the team's surprising comeback. The playoffs begin on April 19th.

Headline Of The Day

Nobody is claiming that Jason Collins is responsible, but neither can anybody say that the NBA's first openly gay player is jinxing the team as the Brooklyn Nets have been on a wild winning streak ever since Collins was signed. In fact, the previously languishing Nets are now very close to clinching a spot in the playoffs.

The Brooklyn Nets are thisclose to clinching a playoff berth, and when they do, they’ll go into the postseason as a very dangerous team. Yep, the team that started 10-21 and lost its starting center for the season has established a home-court advantage that is daunting, a style of play that is vexing and a level of confidence that is surging. The Nets beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 114-99 Sunday night in Barclays Center to tie a franchise record with 13 straight home wins. Had the Knicks lost to the Warriors in Oakland last night, Brooklyn would have clinched a playoff spot. The Knicks eked out the win, leaving the Nets thisclose to clinching.

If the Nets do make the playoffs:

As of today the Nets are looking at a rematch from last season with the Chicago Bulls in the first round. If this match up sticks, expect the Nets to be involved in a grueling seven game series, much like the season before. Despite their improved play late in the season, Brooklyn’s offense will have a difficult time executing against the stifling Chicago defense. Jason Kidd will also be entering his first playoff run as head coach, while Chicago’s Tom Thibodeau has had several years of experience, including a run to the Eastern Conference finals.

In addition to the current 13-game streak, the Nets have won 20 of their last 22 home games.

BROOKLYN: Jason Collins Debuts In First Home Game, Sources Claim He Will Get Second 10-Day Contract

Via the Associated Press:

A person with knowledge of the situation says the Brooklyn Nets will sign Jason Collins to a second 10-day contract. Collins signed his original deal on Feb. 23, becoming the NBA's first openly gay player, and it expires Tuesday. The Nets then will re-sign him for another 10 days on Wednesday, the person tells The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the plans haven't been made public. After that, the Nets would have to sign him for the rest of the season if they wanted to keep him.

Tonight's game against the Chicago Bulls starts at 7:30PM. If you're in NYC, the game is being broadcast on Time Warner channel 753, Verizon channel 576, and Comcast channel 212. Hit this link for channel numbers outside of NYC.

UPDATE: Collins sat on the bench until the final three minutes when the crowd began chanting his name. YES Network announcers took note of that. When Collins finally checked in with the Nets holding a comfortable lead, there was a huge ovation. His stats: 1 rebound, 1 steal, 1 foul, 0 points. I monitored the Nets' stream on Twitter, where there were some really ugly comments. Positive to negative tweets ran about 50-50 overall. But the Nets did win their first home game with Jason Collins, who was swarmed by the press afterwards.

NBA To Donate Proceeds From Jason Collins Jersey Sales To LGBT Groups

Via the Associated Press:

The NBA plans to donate proceeds from sales of Jason Collins jerseys to the Matthew Shepard Foundation and the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network. Collins became the league's first openly gay player when he signed with the Brooklyn Nets last Sunday, and his No. 98 jersey has been the top seller on NBAStore.com. He chose the number in tribute to Shepard, who was killed in a gay hate crime in 1998. Collins met Shepard's parents on Thursday when the Nets played in Denver. The league says Friday the donations will total no less than $100,000, and it will also auction off Collins' autographed, game-worn jerseys to benefit the same organizations.

Collins says he is "thrilled" by the decision. His jersey is the NBA's top-seller since he was picked up by the Brooklyn Nets several days ago.

Jason Collins At Pre-Game Presser: I Know How To Play Basketball, I'm ReadyUPDATE: Standing Ovation As Collins Enters Game At Start Of Second Quarter

At this writing, the first quarter has ended and Collins has not yet entered the game. Fans and assholes are tweeting up a storm from the arena.

UPDATE: Collins has entered the game. And THAT, folks, is LGBT history being made tonight.

UPDATE II: Sports reporters on Twitter are calling it a standing ovation but the clip below only catches a few fans standing up. A very nice round of applause is audible, though.

Headline Of The Day

"The Portland Trail Blazers are in support of the Freedom to Marry and Religious Protection ballot initiative. We do so as believers in individual choice as a fundamental right of all people.” Source. (Tipped by JMG reader Glenn)

WNBA Ref: Technical Foul For Kissing

USA Today reports:

Well, this is new. Diana Taurasi and Seimone Augustus were defending each other during Thursday night’s WNBA conference finals game between the Minnesota Lynx and the Phoenix Mercury. As the commentators note, Taurasi and Augustus have known each other for a very long time and there is genuine affection to complement the competition. Apparently, that affection crossed the line for the referee Thursday night. Both players were called for fouls after squaring up and then pecking each other on the cheek.

USA Today calls the foul excessive, noting that male players often give each other affectionate pats on the butt.

(Tipped by JMG reader Justin)

Michael Jordan's Daughter Comes Out

The daughter of basketball superstar Michael Jordan has come out via her Instagram account.

On 29 August, Jordan’s only daughter Jasmine, 20, posted a photograph of herself and girlfriend Tyson-Thomas on the site with the caption: “This Little Closet Is Holding Me Back.” Responding to users’ questions on whether or not she was gay, she confirmed that it is true. Jasmine’s girlfriend is a former Syracuse Orange basketball star. She previously wrote: “Until love, trust, honesty, respect, loyalty, commitment, genuine happiness and other characteristics or aspects I want in a relationship is defined by one gender then and only then will I discuss my sexual preference.”

(Tipped by JMG reader Birdie)

RELATED: In April the son of Magic Johnson came out.

Barkley & Shaq Chat With Jason Collins

Jason Collins' #98 Jersey: Top Seller

The Washington Wizards announced today that 100% of its online custom jersey sales in the last 48 hours have borne the name and number of Jason Collins.

Washington Wizards center Jason Collins’ jerseys got a boost in online sales after he became the first openly gay athlete on a major U.S. team sport. Team spokesman Scott Hall told ABC News that 100 percent of custom jerseys ordered from the team’s online store bore Collins’ name and number, 98, on the back, after Collins revealed his homosexuality in an article published on Sports Illustrated’s website on Monday. While Hall could not reveal how many custom Collins jerseys were sold, he said that the team’s general merchandise sales and online traffic spiked following Collins’ announcement. In a statement, the Wizards said they were proud of Collins and “his decision to live his life proudly and openly.”

The parents of Matthew Shepard revealed yesterday that they were "brought to tears" by the news that Collins chose his jersey number as a secret memorial to the year that Shepard was murdered. Customize your Collins jersey here.

Athlete Ally Thanks Jason Collins

Featuring Hudson Taylor and Brendon Ayanbadego.

Obama On Collins: I Couldn't Be Prouder

Wingnut sites are losing their shit. Heh.

Quote Of The Day: Andy Roddick

"Yesterday was an incredible day for athletes everywhere. Jason Collin’s courage and leadership in coming out reminds me of how important it is for an athlete to be able to be true to him or herself. As an Athlete Ally, I want to support every athlete to feel comfortable and confident being themselves and to make sure that all people - players and fans alike – are welcome and included in tennis.” - Tennis superstar Andy Roddick, in a press release announcing that he and fellow tennis star Mardy Fish have joined Athlete Ally.

Dan Savage On Jason Collins' Coming Out: This Feels Almost As Big As DADT Repeal

With Athlete Ally founder Hudson Taylor on the panel.

Jason Collins On Good Morning America

Jason Collins appeared on Good Morning America today.

Sitting down with ABC's George Stephanopoulos for his first interview since coming out in a Sports Illustrated editorial published on Monday, Collins admitted that he finds it "kind of mind-boggling" that he became the first active openly gay athlete in major U.S.team sports.

"I never set out to be the first," Collins told Stephanopoulos during an interview that first aired during "Good Morning America" on Tuesday. "You're sort of waiting around for somebody else to, you know, raise their hand. I'm ready to raise my hand but, you know, you still look around like, 'OK, come on, guys.'"

In the clip below, Collins talks about Matthew Shepard: "Every time I put on that jersey I was already making that statement to myself."